Day 113 Kinky Bird

April 1, 2015

(This is part
of a 365 project during my 70th year where I write and illustrate a blog on
each day's gift.)

Just over three miles from my home, Downs Park on
the Chesapeake Bay is a treasure of gifts.

On a walk today, I noticed a tall tree that had offered
a cradle gift to an osprey. Four branches at the top were the perfect
crotch for the bird to assemble its large nest of sticks. As I crossed the
bridge connecting two parts of the park, I looked at the nest and noticed a
bird moving in it. Large birds, these fish-eating raptors can grow to 24 inches
in length with a 71-inch wingspan. I suspect the one I saw was a female sitting
on her eggs because every minute or so, she changed position as if she were
sitting on lumpy seat cushions.

The Chesapeake Bay, another treasure in our
area, is home to many ospreys that usually build their nests near the water.
This one located its resting place a little further away than some. Many people
may not know that these are kinky raptors. When they fly, their wings are
always bowed downward to form an M shape.

Of course, I stopped to snap some photos. Although
a longer lens would have been better suited to shoot my avian subject, I had my
longest lens with me, a 300 mm. While I
stood there for about ten minutes, a woman walked past me, talking on her cell
phone and unaware of the awesome bird above. She missed an opportunity,
connecting with business rather than nature. I would not have seen the osprey myself
if I had been walking in the other direction, perhaps a good reason for varying
one’s journeys and changing direction from time to time.